Referred to: The Economic Development, Planning, Education, Employment, Arts and Agriculture Committee (Chairman Cahill and Legislators Corcoran, Criswell, Hewitt, Litts, Maloney and Sperry), and The Ways and Means Committee (Chairman Gavaris and Legislators Cahill, Fabiano, Ronk, and Walter)

Chairman of the Economic Development, Planning, Education, Employment, Arts and Agriculture Committee, Brian B. Cahill, and Deputy Chair Herbert Litts, III offer the following:

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Community College labor relations team, including labor counsel Thomas McDonough of Jackson Lewis PC. and members of the executive staff have negotiated a ten-year collective bargaining agreement with SUNY Ulster Faculty Association (SUFA), beginning September 1, 2019 and ending August 31, 2029, and recommend the agreement to the College’s Board of Trustees and the Ulster County Legislature; and

WHEREAS, the President has received affirmative action by the College’s Board of Trustees on the ten-year collective bargaining agreement; and

WHEREAS, the ten-year collective bargaining agreement has been reviewed and ratified by the College’s Board of Trustees pursuant to Resolution #22-03-XX dated March 27, 2022; and

WHEREAS, the changes to the collective bargaining agreement incorporated into the ten-year agreement which commenced on September 1, 2019 include no retroactive payments for 2019-20 and 2020-21. The agreement includes longevity payments for full time faculty in 2021-22 effective January 1, 2022. The contract includes the implementation of a salary schedule for full time faculty beginning on September 1, 2022. In order to remain competitive with part-time faculty, the collective bargaining agreement adjust the current blended adjunct per credit rate to a flat per credit rate of $1,049 effective January 1, 2021; $1,099 effective 2027-28 and $1,129 effective 2028-29; and

WHEREAS, the ten-year agreement also includes a retirement incentive for employees who are currently eligible for retirement. Such incentive provides that the College will cover 100% of the retiree’s health insurance prior to eligibility for Medicare and 100% of the cost of the College’s Medicare Advantage Plan thereafter; and

WHEREAS, the ten-year agreement also includes progressive discipline procedures and plans; provisions for the College to ensure faculty meet credit load requirements by providing flexibility to include winter and summer session into faculty load calculations; additional training requirements for full time faculty; and revises the overload pay schedule to reflect that overload shall only be paid in the Spring semester once it is determined that the faculty member has made load.  The agreement also provides that the College will no longer contribute to the faculty sick bank; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Ulster County Legislature hereby approves a ten-year collective bargaining agreement between the County of Ulster and the SUNY Ulster Faculty Association (SUFA) beginning September 1, 2019 and ending August 31, 2029; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the County Executive of the County of Ulster is hereby authorized to execute a Memorandum of Agreement with the SUNY Ulster Faculty Association (SUFA), as filed with the Clerk of the Ulster County Legislature or as modified with the approval of the County Attorney,

and moves its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                     NOES:             

Passed Committee: Economic Development, Planning, Education, Employment, Arts and Agriculture on __________.

Passed Committee: Ways and Means on __________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE